The chairman of Kraft Foods, the world's second biggest food
company, Roger Deromedi, has launched an attack on EU and US trade
barriers that are driving up the price of commodity ingredients
such as sugar and coffee.
Agrana, which claims to be the leading sugar and starch producer in
Central and Eastern Europe, plans to expand its activities towards
the Western Balkans.
The European Commission has raised export subsidies available for
butter for the second month running, bowing to pressure from member
states concerned at volatile markets.
The European Commission's cuts to export subsidies for dairy
ingredients have survived a series of rows between Member States,
as tension grows on how the bloc can meet its commitments to the
World Trade Organisation talks.
Soaring sugar prices are set to continue with supplies remaining
tight, despite increased production, according to the US Department
of Agriculture (USDA).
Designated food "clusters" in the EU will receive a boost in
funding to help the bloc's researchers develop innovative foods and
processing techniques.
If the EU keeps hiding its agriculture sector behind huge pay
cheques instead of devoting more time to food research funding, the
bloc's whimpering and wailing will only get worse.
Four key factors will determine whether this week's EU discussions
regarding the sugar regime have been a success or a failure, says a
key industry body.
The European Commission has backed the exclusion of food and food
ingredients from the reach of groundbreaking EU chemical
legislation passed by parliament yesterday, providing a huge dollop
of relief for an industry concerned about...
The UK's food regulator has issued another draft of its code of
practice under the country's food laws to take account of the EU's
hygiene regulations due to come into force at the end of the year.
The UK department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra)
claims that there is strong support for EU sugar reform, though
opinion across Europe remains divided.
A European Commission programme designed to promote EU food
products outside the bloc has been welcomed by the food industry,
though criticism over European bureaucracy remains a recurrent
theme.
Europe's food industry will significantly benefit from a
satisfactory WTO agreement, but for this to happen the EU must
maintain its multilateral approach and issues such as export
support must be addressed.
A new centre-right government in Poland is unlikely to curb the
country's strong opposition to EU sugar reforms as Commission
representatives look for common ground to break the 'no' camp.
Whether it is a pork pie from Melton Mowbray or olive oil from
Nimes, every Tom, Denis and Haemon seems to believe their local
food deserves the EU's protection from big, bad corporations.
Global supplies for the hydrocolloid gum arabic could creep up as
Lagos announces plans to sow 500 million seeds to produce the
popular confectionery ingredient, writes Lindsey Partos.
The first wrangling over EU sugar reform proposals by agriculture
ministers saw protests and a passionate debate in Brussels
yesterday, but the opposition looks increasingly isolated,
reports Chris Mercer.
While the European Commission still seems far from producing a
proposal to amend rules on nutrition labelling, a new study
suggests costs of label changes for the food maker could hit €9000
a product, reports Lindsey Partos.
The EU's Sugar Management Committee has backed a new regulation
demanding that five of the new member states destroy their surplus
sugar stocks or face fines, reports Chris Mercer.
Knocked by an economic slowdown and the strength of the Euro
against the US dollar, growth in turnover for the European food and
drink industry rose by a 1.9 per cent wisp from 2002 to 2003,
concludes a new report from the US government,...
Mariann Fischer Boel, the EU's recently appointed agriculture
commissioner, has claimed that sweeping EU agricultural reforms
will provide UK farmers with a "better balance of support",
while forging a more competitive...
Recently devolved Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have already
established a strong bargaining position in the development of EU
policy, particularly in agriculture, likely to affect how the UK
handles CAP reform in the future,...
Peter Mandelson, the newly-appointed EU trade commissioner, is
considering launching a review of the EU's stringent food hygiene
regulations in an attempt to tackle growing accusations that its
policies are protectionist and...
Ireland's lone sugar processor Greencore Sugar is to cease
operating at its Carlow production facility in anticipation of the
pending EU reform of the sugar industry, Tom Armitage
reports.
Food and ingredients producer Greencore has warned early that its
Irish sugar business could be seriously damaged when the EU finally
implements its sugar reform, expected next December, writes
Chris Mercer.
Brussels will fight to appeal against a new decision by the World
Trade Organisation that rules the EU illegally subsidises exports
of sugar, ruling in favour of a legal challenge by Australia,
Thailand and Brazil, the world's...
Food makers alert to the levels of a potentially carcinogenic mould
commonly found on crops as scientists back an extension barrier
levels for ochratoxin A to grape juice, coffee and wine.
Sugar producers from Serbia and Montenegro will once again benefit
from preferential access to the European Union market, following
the EU's recent lifting of a 15-month ban on duty-free sugar
imports from the country - a move...
On the cusp of reform to the EU's heavily supported sugar regime,
some of the world's poorest sugar exporting countries have called
on Europe 'to put fairness at the heart of the new regime'.
Health conscious consumers that wish to avoid additives in their
diets are finding it difficult to recognise the ingredients and the
health risks associated with them because of a confusing labelling
system.
Years of uncertainty on the definition of yoghurt could soon come
to an end, with EU legislators planning to define the exact nature
of the milk product. But the proposed definition has caused
commotion amongst Spanish dairy producers...
German confectionery and bakery producers have strongly criticised
the current EU system designed to keep sugar prices artificially
high, arguing that it makes European companies uncompetitive when
it comes to exports.
Despite the failure of Cancun, it still seems likely that Europe's
sugar regime will be overhauled. Europe's farm commissioner said
that the continuation of the EU's heavily subsidy sugar industry is
simply unviable.
Imminent reforms to the EU sugar regime could slice millions off
the sugar profits for Associated British Foods (ABF), the owner of
British Sugar, and Danisco.
